Everyone loves a good origin story, right? How did I get passionate about talking about conservation on the trail?⠀

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I was born and raised in Houston, TX. Conservation was something that was taught in school but not practiced. I remembered when we received a recycling bin for our house. I loved separating the recycled products from the garbage. Then the recycling truck stopped coming. If you wanted to recycle you have to drive to a Sam’s Club and drop it off there. Now, what is the point of recycling? On top of that, litter was seen all over the sides of Hwy 290. Litter seemed like the norm, and let’s not forget all we had was city parks.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When I moved to California, my eyes grew big, realizing how significant is conservation. There are different bins to dispose of your trash. Compost, Recycle, Batteries, and Waste? What goes in what?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You visit beautiful parks and open spaces in California. Then you see a piece of litter destroying that work of art by Mother Nature. You see people picking up trash and keeping people accountable. There are different levels of it too. There is fire safety, the importance of staying on the trail, no smoking, keeping the wild wild, and more. I loved it all, and it made sense to me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I wondered how many other people are unknowledgeable about conservation. It encouraged me to use my outdoor voice to talk about it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In 2017, I joined the PCTA’s P3 Program. I felt my voice could resonate because of my background, along with my passion for educating and reminding people of LNT. Leki, Osprey, and Eagle Creek were sponsors. I felt accountable for my actions and others.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It sparked something a fire inside of me. It took a while to get used to my outdoor voice. True story and that passion brought me here. If you see me now, I’m yelling at people who go off the trail or go near the wildlife. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Where did you get your start?